Chain tool



July 17, 1928.

J. w. SAFFOLD CHAIN TOOL Filed June 1, 1925 I of this specification,

Patented July 17, 1928. t

UNITED STATES JAMES WEBB :SLFIOLD or onlarvnnnnn, oHIo.

CHAINEOOIi.

App1ication filed I'm 1,

My invention relates to improvements in chain tools, the presentembodiment of the" invention being particularly designed and adapted foruse as a portable tool in opening and detaching and closing andattaching the hook links used at the ends of cross chains inattaching'and detachingthe same 'tothe side chains or members ofordinary anti-skid tire chains. This application is directed to similarsubject matter as disclosed in companion applicationsSerial No. 90,782filed February 26, 1926, and Ser1al No. 133,758 filed September 7 1926.l The primary object of the invention is'to provide a generally improvedtool of the type or class mentioned, which .will exceedingly simple inconstruction, cheap of manufacture, and efficient in use. p

A further and important object is the provision of anvil and plungcr orclamp blocks having spaced grooves for receiving andholding thelside oroverlapping members of the hook links while opening or closing the hookends thereof, one of said blocks being provided with a recess and wedgeshaped horn adapted to'hold the hook link and engage and open the hookportion thereof as the opposing block is being operated. With the abovementioned and other ends in view, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement and combination of parts, illustrated in someof itsembodiments in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointedout in the appended claims."

Referring to the drawings, forming a part Figure 1 is a side elevationofa chain tool,constructed in accord ance with this invention. Fig. 2, afront elevat'on of the same.

Fig. 3, anenlarged.fragmentary side elevation of the same showing theanvil and plunger block in engagement with a hook link in engaging andopening the hook por tion'of such hook link.- 4 Fig. 4,;a similar viewof the same illustrating the manner in which the hook link is held inclosing the hook end-thereof in connection with one of the side chains.Fig. 5, a side elevation of a-modified form of same. 1. v Fig. 6,'afront elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5. r -Fig. 7, a fragmentaryvperspective View of the-relatively fined or anvil b1ook,} detached. Fig.8, a perspective View of the relative 1925. Serial No. 34,660. i

ly movable or plunger block used the device of Fig. 1, detached. tSimilar numerals of referencev designate like parts throughout all thefigures of the drawings. 1 I

The improvedchain tool comprises a suittable support or jawed'frameconsisting, in the presentinstance, of a base or support 1, andabaseclamp 1, provided with. a clamp screw 1, for convenient attachment to abench or board. The. support or frame is provided with an overhangingarm 1, which, in conjunction with the basel, provides an article or linkreceiving recess 1".

I As a means of adapting the tool to the particular article or devicewith which it is adapted to be used, such for eXample,- as the book link2,. withwliich it is to be oper ated, the base is provided. with ananvil block 3, suitably mounted and secured by means of a suitablefastening element, such for cxample,as a fastening element in thespecific form of a rivet 3 or screw 3, 'as shown, and the anvil block 3is provided with a recess 3, terminating in a horn 3 the latter beingpreferably ,of wedge-shape formation and'cxtend'ing upwardly, as willappear most clearly in Fig. 7 of the drawug V The upper face portion ofthe anvil block 3 atfth'e rear of the recess 3 is provided with a pair,of spaced parallel extending grooves 3 for receiving. and holding theoverlapping or side members 2*, of the hook link when it is desiredtohold the latter in position when'closing the book ends 2,'as shownin'Fig. 4 f the drawings.

As a means of providing companion or cooperating elements for receivingand hold- 1ng suchsidc members of the hook link in position, therelatively movable or plunger block 4, is provided on its base orunderside with a pair ofgrooves 4, these grooves'receivingsuch sidemembers 2 either when the hook link is in a position to be closed, asshown in Fig. 4 of the "drawings, or is in a position to have its bookends opened by the horn portion of the anvil block, as shown in Fig. 3of the drawings.

'In the form shown in Figs. 1 to'4, inclusive, of the drawings, therelatively movable or plunger block 4 is provided with a plunger stem4", operating in a suitable opening in the overhanging anal and beingadapted to be returned 'to its elevated or retracted position by meansof a coiled spring 5, surrounding the stem portion 4", one end of saidstem 4" being adapted to be frictionally engaged by means of a cam head6, of an operating lever6. I

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 exemplifiesa simpler mechanism, which, however, is adapted generally to carry outthe object of my invention in a manner similar to that of the embodimentpreviously described.

In the present embodiment, a C-clamp is provided having a pair ofparallel hori- Zontal arms 10 and joined by an intermediate verticalconnecting portion, the arms 10 and 15 comprising a base for supportingan anvil 3 and a base clamp element respectively. A clamp screw 16 isprojected through the base clamp 15 and is adapted to engage a bench orboard interposed between the upper enlarged end of the clamp screw andthe end surfaces of the base 10.

In the following description, I shall term the portions of the deviceshown at the right in the drawing as the forward end of the device, andthe portions shown to the rear as the rearward portions, since when thebench board is interposed Within the C-clamp, the

operator facing the bench would so regard v the portions designated asforward and rearward portions respectively.

Projecting upwardly from the base 10, I provide a pair of spaced lugs 12and 13 adapted to receive between them an end of a lever 7 which maybe,as illustrated, of tubular form, flattened at the end 9, which isillustrated as inserted between the lugs 12 ,7 and 13, the flattened endbeing perforated at 1-1. The lugs 12 and 13 are transversely bored toadmit a hinge pin 17 projected through the bores of the lugs and theperforations 11 of the interposed flattened end 9 of the lever 7. Thelever 7 is thus adapted for swivelling in a vertical plane, assuming thebench board to be horizontal, by the op erator grasping the free handleend of the lever 7.

apertures of the anvil block 3 and base 10.

The anvil block is preferably of the form illustrated in Fig. 7, beingprovided with a groove 3 extending transversely from side to side of theanvilto provide an upwardly extending horn 3 at the forward end of theanvil, the same being preferably of wedgeshaped formation with its mostforward surface 19 extending. substantially vertically and'its rearsurface 20 being downwardly rearwardly inclined to meet an opposingsubstantially vertical surface 21 of the groove 3.

The upper face portion of the anvil block 3 is provided with a pair ofspaced parallel grooves 3 Figs. 5 and 7, extending longitudinally ofthe'block 3, rearwardly from the recess 3 these-being preferably disposedand formed as bestillustrated in Fig. 7 and indicated in Fig. 5.

Carried on the lever 7 and rigidly affixed thereto, at a point spacedfrom the com panion head lugs 12 and 13, I provide a plungerblock 14comprising a movable jaw posed approximatelyhorizontally. The jaw face18 is provided with a pairv of longitudinally extending grooves 23corresponding to the grooves 3". The grooves 23'eXtend from front torearwhen the jaw is in operating position, as illustrated in Fig. 5, andare disposed preferably exactly above the cooperative grooves 3 on .theupper surface of the anvil block. V

In operating upon a chain, to close the companion eyes of an automobilenon-skid chain, for instance, the chain is placed with the eye portionsresting within the anvil grooves 3 and the'movable jaw element 14: isthen brought downwardly with the longitudinally extending grooves 23thereof engaging the companion eye of the chain, to

compress the eye to close it, thefeyes being prevented from lateralmovement by the lateral confining walls of the grooves and againstlongitudinal movement by the restraining effect of thesurface 20 of thehorn and the terminating rearwardly disposed end walls for the grooves3. 7 When using the tool for opening the eyes of a chain link, theportions of the link eye adapted to be forced apart, are placed over thehorn 3 and the plunger jaw element 14 is brought downwardly by operationof the handle 7 upon the then uppermost portion of the link and the eyeis, therefore, spread open by its terminating ends being forced alongthe wedge surfaces 19 and 20 of the horn.

The chain tool illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, is adapted tooperate upon a chain such as the chain 2, in the manner illustrated inFigs. 3 and 1 of the first embodiment of my invention described, as willbe. clearly understood from the foregoing description, both forms of theinvention being adapted to perform the same functions upon a chain link,the first embodiment being preferably employed on heavier chains, andthe second embodiment being less expensive'to make and more adaptablefor use on lighterchains.

Having thus described some of the embodiments of my invention, withouthaving attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be made, orall the modes of its use, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent is, V

1. Achain tool for tire chain cross-links comprising a frame, said framehaving oined base and hGQClPOItIOIIS, said base adapted to be fixed to asupport with a supporting surface upwardl disposed thereon, an anvilblock supported on the upper surface of said base near an end of thebase, said head projecting upwardly from the base from another portionof the base, alever arm pivoted to the head to adapt it for swivellingin a plane in line with the said block,

longitudinal grooves extending ina direction toward the head supportingbase portion, and a groove extending in a direction transverse to thesaid parallel grooves and 'dis,

posed more remote from the head supporting base portion, said anvilcomprising a wedge-shaped horn extending upwardly from the anvilblock,disposed on the side of the transverse groove remote from the saidparallel grooves.

2. In a chain tool for opening and closing the eyes of tire chaincross-links, a pair of relatively movable jaws having opposed jaw faces,the face of one of the jaws com prising a pair of parallel grooves and athird groove disposed at the ends of, com

municating with,oand disposed transversely of the said parallel grooves,and a wedgeshaped horn disposed parallel with the transversely disposedgroove extending'from the jaw toward theopposed face of theother jaw,said other jaw having a recessed portion adapted to receive a part of achain cross-link, disposed between the jaws and having other portionsprojected into the said parallel grooves thereof.

3. A chain tool for tire chain cross links, comprising a frame havingjoined base and head portions, said base adapted to be fixed to asupport with a supporting surface upwardly disposed thereon, an anvilblock 'sup-, ported on the upper surface. of said base near an end ofthe base, said head projecting upwardly fromithe base from anotherportion of the base, a pair of compression jaws,

"means to relatively reciprocate the jaws to compress an eye of a chainlink disposed between them, sald aws having opposing aw surfaces, saidsurfaces being correspondingly grooved to receive the side members ofatire chain link eye to hold the same against lateral movement when theeye is compressed by the movement of one of the jaws towards the anvilblock, said grooves being parallel and extending in a direction towardthe head supporting base portion, there being, another groove extendingin a direction,

transverse tothe said parallel grooves and disposed more remote fromthehead supporting base portion, said anvil comprising a wedgeshapedhorn extending upwardly from the anvil block, disposed on the side ofthe transverse groove remote from the said parallel grooves.

In testimony whereof I have, aflixed my signature. v

JAMES WEBB SAFFOLD,

